My answer today (I'd probably come up with a different answer on other days - so many albums, so many great songs!)

Lovers

I think the range of songs, styles and topics is astonishing even by Mickey's standards.

The beautifully evocative Americana of 'Apples Dipped In Candy'; the bittersweet love song that is 'Lovers'; the escape offered in 'Sail Away'; the quiet anguish of 'When Do We Stop Starting Over'; the simple faith revealed in 'Lead On'; the regrets of 'Hows The Weather'; the singer down and out in 'If You Ever Get To Houston; the perpetually sad melody and lyric that proves 'You've Always Got The Blues'; the startling musical bravado and trance-like resolution of 'Let Me Sleep'; the wonderful conclusion of 'Goodnight'.

I sang 'Goodnight' as a lullaby for each of my two daughters when they were young: when I first wrote to Mickey I mentioned that to him.